Stampin' Up!

Stamping 411 – On the Grow

April 28, 2011 By Connie | 10 Comments

Yes, I am loving this new stamp set in the Summer Mini, On the Grow! I've used it again today for the Stamping 411 sketch challenge SSC201! We are SO happy that you enjoyed our little "game" last week! We had fun playing along ourselves!

And here is my card…I knew immediately that I would use Stampin' Up!'s On the Grow set and that the scooter would fit perfectly in the focal element spot!

I started with a base of Real Red cardstock. I layered on Bashful Blue that I ran thru the Big Shot with the Square Lattice Impressions Folder. I took my colors from the Celebrations Designer Paper…I love this polka dot pattern! I layered the DSP on Pacific Point cardstock. I stamped the scooter in Black Stazon on Whisper White and used my Stampin' Write Markers in Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Pearl Pizzazz, Basic Black and Bashful Blue, plus used the AquaPainter to watercolor it. I layered the Whisper White on more Pacific Point. I wrapped two lengths of 1/8" Real Red Taffeta Ribbon around to the back and adhered. I added an Old Olive button, tied with more 1/8" Real Red Taffeta Ribbon and adhered with Mini Glue Dots.

Finally, I stamped Celebrate from Fundamental Phrases in Black Stazon on Real Red and punched with the Curly Label Punch, cut it in half and placed it under the scooter focal piece. I think it is a fun card!

Make sure to check out what the rest of the Stamping 411 Design Operators did this week!

Sharing creativity one stamped image at a time!

CCMC148 – On the Grow

April 28, 2011 By Connie | 7 Comments

Another Thursday and time for the Create with Connie and Mary Thursday Challenge! Today we have a fun color challenge for you…pretty soft colors for Spring! So, get your stamps and supplies and play along with us this week! Upload your creation over on Create with Connie and Mary so we can take a look…we love to see what you create!

I loved this color combo…I don't know if I have ever used the three of them together before. Perfect Plum doesn't get a lot of use in my house for some reason! But, my card came together very easily!

Stampin' Up!'s On the Grow in the Summer Mini, was one of the first stamp sets that jumped into my shopping cart! I even selected it to do my Control Freaks Swaps. I love this jar of flowers and have used it several times already. Need to get the scooter out and color on it, too!

The base of my card is Perfect Plum. I added a layer of So Saffron that I ran thru the Big Shot with the Framed Tulip Impressions Folder. At the bottom, I used the polka dot pattern from Woodland Walk Designer Paper package. To hide the seam, I wanted some ribbon, but we don't carry a Perfect Plum color. So, I used my Perfect Plum Stampin' Write Marker and the Whisper White Organza Stripe Ribbon and colored it Perfect Plum! I laid down a strip of Sticky Strip, then ruffled the ribbon along the tape, adhering to the back.

I stamped the jar of flowers from Stampin' Up!'s On the Grow stamp set in Black Stazon on Whisper White and used my Perfect Plum, So Saffron and Wild Wasabi Stampin' Write Markers and AquaPainter to watercolor it. Love how soft it looks. The jar looked kind of "flat", so I added Crystal Effects to give it a glassy look. FUN! Oh, I also used just a little bit of Sahara Sand marker to color the "ground". I punched the image with the 2 1/2 Circle Punch, then added to a 2 3/4" circle cut with the Circle Scissors Plus Tool. It was placed on the front of the So Saffron panel with Stampin' Dimensionals. Since I punched it off center, I decided to add a Vintage Brad to the left edge of the circle…just a little added interest!

Finally, I stamped "Thinking of You" from On the Grow in Perfect Plum and added three little pearls in the lower left corner to balance it out. I'm happy with how it turned out!

Make sure to check out what the rest of the Create with Connie and Mary Challenge Team did this week! Then play along! And SHHHH, don't tell Mary I told you…check back on Create with Connie and Mary this weekend for the START of Early Bird Pricing on the Create with Connie and Mary Summer Edition! You don't want to miss it!

Sharing creativity one stamped image at a time!

Stamping 411 Reveal

April 27, 2011 By Connie | 2 Comments

Wow…that was a tough contest, wasn't it? The Stamping 411 Operators really changed things up. I thought I had a pretty good handle on whose card was whose…ended up that I only had THREE right! Not even the one that I had posted on MY blog! lol! Oh well!

So…HERE is the card that I posted last Friday…did you guess right? If you guessed GRETCHEN…you would be correct! I didn't…I thought for sure it was Kerin's card!

Anyway…here is MINE:

Since the Stampin' Up! Alaska cruise I'm taking in a few weeks has been on my mind lately, I thought of doing a "port hole" for my nautical card! Stampin' Up! has a wonderful new set called, The Open Seas, in the Summer Mini. I stamped the anchor from this set in Cherry Cobbler on Sahara Sand and punched with the 1 3/4 Circle punch. Then I punched the 2 1/2 Circle from Early Espresso. I measured top to bottom and side to side and pierced holes for the Vintage Brads to go around the circle.

The base of the card is Sahara Sand and I textured the front with the Square Lattice Impressions Folder. I placed a section of the Nautical Expedition Designer Paper (anchor print) on the front and the coordinating stripe print across the top. I used the Curly Label punch and made a row of scallops along the bottom, and placed one for the greeting above the Cherry Cobbler Bakers Twine that was wrapped around three times. The greeting is from Teeny Tiny Wishes and stamped in Early Espresso Classic Ink.

I had a lot of fun making my card. I hope you all had lots of fun playing along with the Operators this week! If you want to see whose cards were whose, you can see them all over on Stamping 411.

And…the winner of my Blog Candy is…………………

Mitzi Luttrull said:

My guess for this card is Gretchen. Thanks for doing this fun game.

She even guessed right! Congrats, Mitzi! Please EMAIL me with your address!

Blossom Bouquet Triple Punch

April 26, 2011 By Connie | 7 Comments

Well, I mentioned yesterday that I would be featuring the Occasions Mini for the rest of the week…and really…I am today, I just combined it with the NEW Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch that will be in the Summer Mini! Stampin' Up!'s Bring on the Cake stamp set is a 13 piece greeting set in the Occasions Mini that is SO great for birthdays. I really hope it makes it into the new catalog, but just in case it doesn't…you know what you have to do! lol! This greeting, so many Candles so little Cake is one of the many favorites in that set!

For my card, I started with Daffodil Delight and layered on Whisper White that I ran thru the Big Shot 3/4s of the way with Perfect Polka Dots Impressions Folder. I added three 1/8 Taffeta Ribbons in Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive and adhered them to the back. These 1/8 Taffeta Ribbons are another Ribbon Share that I'm offering! You can see more information HERE and get a few yards of each color! I stamped the greeting in Early Espresso Classic Ink on the un-textured bottom.

I punched the Blossom Bouquet flowers from Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive and Rose Red, then mixed up the colors and placed them up and down on the card. I used the Circle Bitty Punch and the same colors, then mixed them up for the centers of the flowers. I added a circle Bitty Buttons tied with NEW White Baker's Twine (in the Summer Mini) in the center. I'm SO happy we have a choice of Linen Thread or the new Baker Twines to put in the buttons!

This came together VERY easily, but packs a lot of WOW with the bright colors! I mixed up a little of the old with the new today! Hope you enjoy my card!

Sharing creativity one stamped image at a time!

Sew Suite

April 25, 2011 By Connie | 3 Comments

Wow!!! Can you believe we are counting down the LAST week to order from the Occasions Mini Catalog? SOOOOO many great sets in this catalog. Who knows whether or not they will make it into the next big catalog? I'm hoping, but you never know!

I played along with Mary Jo's Technostamper's Sketch Challenge #171 today. Fun sketch! My card came together pretty easy with it.

I'm on a mission to use my Occasions Mini stamp sets this week to finish out the last week of ordering. Stampin' Up's Sew Suite was one of the first sets that jumped in my cart! I love the dress form, the bobbin and the ruler…well, really…I like ALL the images! Fun set to play with! And…the matching Sweet Stitches Designer Paper is perfect for it!

This card really turned out much more PINK than I intended! I started with a base of Regal Rose and layered on Rose Red that I ran thru the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots Impressions Folder. I added a strip of Sweet Stitches Designer Paper that was layered on Always Artichoke. At the bottom of the Always Artichoke, I used my Eyelet Border Punch. I made a double bow from Rose Red Seam Binding Ribbon and secured the ends around on the back. If you don't have the Seam Binding Ribbon…check out my Ribbon Shares…you get a little of each color so you can play with it, too! I love how it handles!

For the focal image, I stamped the bobbin in Early Espresso on scrap Sahara Sand and Always Artichoke and cut them out (the center of the Always Artichoke adhered over the center of the Sahara Sand). I stamped the pin cushion with Early Espresso on Regal Rose, then took my Rose Red marker and outlined it…then used the Blender Pen to move the color from the outline into the entire pin cushion. I took the TEENY TINY pearls and placed them on the pin heads! I don't know about you, but whenever I'm using pins, I always go for the pretty pearl topped ones! lol! Both the bobbin and the pin cushion were popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals on a 1 3/4 Circle of Baja Breeze and layered on the 2 3/8 Scallop Circle of Regal Rose. I pierced each of the scallops with my piercing tool, then adhered the whole thing to the front of my card! I stamped "It's the little things" from Stampin' Up!'s Your a Gem stamp set…also in the Occasions Mini, in Early Espresso. (Sorry, photo was taken before I decided to add the greeting and I forgot to retake!)

If you didn't notice, I've updated my Retired Stamp Set list with a bunch of Alphabet Sets and reduced prices even more on the cardstock and designer paper! GREAT prices on them. Check them out and email me! I keep adding things as I clear out, so keep checking!

AND…don't forget to get with me to order your last minutes things from the Occasiosn Mini Catalog! You don't want to miss out!

Sharing creativity one stamped image at a time!

Happy Easter!

April 24, 2011 By Connie | 4 Comments

Happy Easter! Hope you have a beautiful day! So far, no rain…and the spring flowers have their fancy dress on!

This was the Easter card I sent out this year. I have loved A Good Egg for years and every year borrowed my friend's set during the stamping retreat. This year I decided to purchase it for myself. It is just one of the good all-around Easter sets!

I used a base of Regal Rose and layered on Daffodil Delight that I ran thru the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots Impressions Folder. I used a strip of Nursery Suite Designer Paper along the left side. For my focal element, I went back to the Sale-A-Bration set, Sweet Summer, and used the stem of leaves for the base of my tulip flower. Then I stamped the egg shell from A Good Egg on the Designer Paper and cut it out, popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals on top of the leaf stem. Stamped the Chick on Daffodil Delight and cut her out…colored her beak Pumpkin Pie. I stamped the little birdie from Sweet Summer and colored with Early Espresso. I also hand drew some grass along the base of the stem.

I layered the Whisper White panel on Regal Rose and used the Scallop Trim Border Punch along the left side. I stamped Happy Easter from A Good Egg in Early Espresso, punched with the Large Oval and layered on the Scallop Oval punched from Nursery Suite. This was popped up on the front with Stampin' Dimensionals. Finally, I used the Beautiful Wings Embosslit and added a butterfly with Rhinestone Jewel body.

I thought it made a FUN Easter card! Enjoy your day. We have about 12 coming over for Easter Dinner…better get back to cooking and setting the table!

Stamping 411 – Mystery Artist

April 22, 2011 By Connie | 79 Comments

That's right! This is NOT my card! Why am I posting it then? Well, this week is Stamping 411's 100th Sketch! Isn't that amazing? What started out as a place for our customers to go for basic information and a challenge to play along each week, is now celebrating our 100th sketch! So, here is the sketch we were given. In return, we were given someone else's card to post on our blog. If you leave a comment on my blog (and each of the Operator's blogs) with your GUESS, you get a chance to win some BLOG CANDY to help us celebrate!

And…here is my Mystery Artist's card! Can you GUESS whose card it is?

OK…first the measurements of her card:

Base card – 5 1/2 x 8 1/2, folded to 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 size.

1st layer – 5 1/4 x 4

Strip layer – 5 1/4 x 2

Eyelet Border Punch layer – 5 1/4 x 1

1 3/4 Circle punch layered with the 2 3/8 Scallop Circle

She used some of the products coming out in the Summer Mini! Love the nice, bright colors! The Beyond the Garden Designer Paper and the stamp set, Fabulous Florets will be in there. And, the fabulous new Impressions Folder, Flower Garden. The phrase is from Happy Greetings! Ohhh, isn't it hard to wait?

Second…my guess is that this is Kerin Sylvester's card! Why? I know she does her bows like that…and she likes to add pearls and such. But…this is HARD! lol!

So…for BLOG CANDY…leave a comment on MY blog on which Stamping 411 Operator's card you think this is. Then go check out the rest of the Stamping 411 Design Operator's creations this week. Follow the links to the other chances for Blog Candy, too! Winners and matching the creators will be announced on Wednesday, April 28th.

Tour de Freaks – Summer Sneak Peek!

April 19, 2011 By Connie | 14 Comments

It's TIME! Time for the Tour de Freaks, brought to you by the Control Freak Swappers! This month we are featuring a SNEAK PEEK of the Summer Mini…all the new and exciting things that will be available on May 1st! You've probably just come from Lisa Young's awesome blog, Add Ink and Stamp…isn't she SO talented? If you started here, you can make the complete loop and return to me!

OK…for my first project, I just HAD to use the new Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch! I can't WAIT to show my customers how this new punch works and the three different punch pieces you get from ONE punch! I decided to make a long card, so I could show off a beautiful bouquet of the blossoms. I featured only two of the punch designs for this card.

I started with a base of Soft Suede and cut it 8 x 9 and scored lengthwise to get a 4 x 9 sized card. This will fit perfectly in a #10 envelope. I added a layer of River Rock cardstock that I ran thru the Big Shot with the Vintage Wallpaper Impressions Folder and rounded the corners with the Corner Rounder Punch. I did have to run it thru twice, turning it around the second time, so the longer length would be embossed. I knew the center seam would be covered by the flowers anyway. I punched several of the flowers in Daffodil Delight and several in Whisper White. The Whisper White flowers, I added a yellow center punched from the Crop A Dile. The yellow flowers I used my Paper Snips to cut slits in each of the petals, that allowed me to curl them out for a more natural shape. In the center, I used the Boho Blossoms punch smallest flower, and cut slits in each of the petals, too. It is glued to the center of the Yellow Flower with Mini Glue Dots.

I cut several stems…just long lengths of Always Artichoke cardstock and used the Two-Step Bird Punch to make lots of leaves to fill in the background. I added the blossoms to the River Rock cardstock, tied a Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon around and tied a knot. I stamped Just For You from Teeny Tiny Wishes in Always Artichoke and punched with the Small Oval Punch and adhered it under the knot with a Mini Glue Dot.

Next I made a coordinating (sort of) box from the XL Bitty Box and Envelope Die…it holds a sweet treat inside! I had the thought to use the Scallop Duo Die (in the Summer Mini again!) for the top and bottom of the Bitty Box! Has anyone seen this done? I haven't…and it made a DARLING little box!

I cut the Bitty Box and two of the larger size in the Scallop Duo Die from Daffodil Delight. I made up the box according to directions, but cut off the little tab. I adhered one of the Scallop Squares on top and one on the bottom. I cut a piece of the Beyond the Garden Designer Paper and wrapped some Daffodil Delight Taffeta Ribbon around and tied. I used the new stamp set Pretty Postage and stamped "Thanks" once on Whisper White and once on Daffodil Delight with Tangerine Tango Classic Ink. I cut the middle thanks from the Daffodil Delight and layered it over the center Whisper White one, then punched it with the new Postage Stamp Punch. Those stamps are made to fit it perfectly! I layered it on a 1 3/8 Large Square Punch of Pacific Point cardstock. Finally, I had some of the flowers left from my card above, so I added one to the top of the box! I think this turned out SO fun and gave me another use for my Bitty Box! But…of course, I had to finish off the inside, too!

I cut the envelope on the Bitty Box Die from Tangerine Tango…again adding another flower. I used a Stampin' Dimensional, so the flower actually helps hold the envelope flap closed while in the box.

Inside the envelope I made a little 2 x 4 card from Daffodil Delight and the Beyond the Garden DSP..so you could write a little note inside. I did the same with the Thanks as I did on the box. I also included a Ghirardelli Chocolate. Both fit inside the Bitty Box perfectly! You can't see, but I did line the inside of the box with the same Designer Paper as the top of the box and the card!

I hope you enjoyed all my projects and are enjoying the tour! We have some FABULOUS stampers in this group, don't we? Next stop is my good friend, MARY BROWN at Stamper Camper Corner! You'll enjoy her awesome box set, I'm sure!

Sharing creativity one stamped image at a time!